The Murders of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi

Two journalists killed at home

Sagar Sarowar was a news editor at Maasranga Television. Meherun Runi was a senior reporter at ATN Bangla. In the early hours of February 11, 2012, both were found murdered inside the rented apartment where they lived in West Rajabazar, Dhaka.

Their young son was in the home when the killings occurred. That fact has remained one of the most painful elements of the case, but this archive does not reproduce speculative reconstructions of what he may have seen or heard. The criminal responsibility for the murders has never been judicially established.

The first investigation

Runi's brother filed the murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. The investigation was initially handled by police and then transferred to the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. It was later given to the Rapid Action Battalion.

Over the following years, investigators questioned people, made arrests and repeatedly sought more time to submit a formal investigation report. Despite the extraordinary number of extensions, the case did not reach the stage of a completed police report capable of moving into a normal prosecution on a settled theory of the crime.

Why the long delays matter

A deadline extension does not prove that investigators have no evidence, and it does not establish the innocence or guilt of anyone named during the investigation. It means that the agency responsible for the case has not completed and filed the report required for the next procedural step.

The repeated delays became a defining feature of the case. By 2026, courts had postponed the probe-report deadline well over one hundred times. Families, journalists and civil-society groups repeatedly criticized the lack of resolution, while the judicial system continued to grant additional time.

The High Court orders a new task force

On September 30, 2024, the High Court ordered that the investigation be removed from the Rapid Action Battalion and transferred to a high-powered task force to be formed through the Ministry of Home Affairs. The government subsequently created a four-member task force, with the Police Bureau of Investigation serving as the lead agency.

The High Court initially directed the task force to finish its work within six months. When that deadline was not met, additional time was granted. On April 26, 2026, the High Court allowed the task force another six months to complete the investigation and submit its report.

July 2026: the 128th postponement

On July 22, 2026, a Dhaka court set August 27 as the next date for filing the investigation report. That was described as the 128th postponement in the case. The Police Bureau of Investigation had again been unable to submit a completed report.

Because the new date fell on the day of this archive update, Crime by Region checked fresh court reporting rather than leaving the page frozen at the July status.

August 27, 2026: the 129th extension

On August 27, 2026, the report was not filed. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam granted another prosecution request for time and fixed September 30, 2026 as the new date. Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha described this as the 129th extension of the investigation-report deadline.

That development confirms that the case remains active but unresolved. It does not establish a new suspect, a new charge or a completed prosecutorial theory. No person can responsibly be presented as the murderer on the basis of the current public record.

People named during the investigation

Public reporting over the years has listed multiple accused or detained people connected to the investigation. Their procedural positions have differed: some have been in custody, others have received bail, and the investigation itself has changed agencies.

This page deliberately avoids turning those statuses into a finding of guilt. Arrest is not conviction, being named in a case is not proof of murder, and a long investigation does not justify filling gaps with speculation. Until evidence is tested in court or investigators reach a supported conclusion, responsibility remains unresolved.

Why this case belongs in Unsolved / Partial

The killings themselves are not disputed: Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi were murdered in their home on February 11, 2012. What remains unresolved is who killed them, why, whether more than one person was involved and what evidence will ultimately support prosecution.

That is exactly the distinction Crime by Region's status system is designed to preserve. The case is a documented double murder with an active investigation, but it is not a solved homicide. It therefore appears under Unsolved / Partial.

Timeline

Current status

The murders of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi remain unsolved. The investigation is active under a high-powered task force led by the Police Bureau of Investigation. The next court date for submission of the probe report is September 30, 2026.